IoT & AI

B2C

Market-leading UX and brand identity for pet tech pioneer PetLink

Client

PetLink

PetLink

Model

Partnership

Partnership

Hand holding a smartphone displaying the PetLink mobile app homepage

Services

Product strategy

Product strategy

UX/UI design

UX/UI design

User research

User research

Rapid prototyping

Rapid prototyping

Proposition testing

Proposition testing

Info

PetLink operates across multiple markets: microchip solutions dominate the US, QR technology leads France, while acquiring Italian GPS startup Kippy brought established customers and brand recognition.

The acquisition created strategic opportunity alongside operational complexity. Each market had different cultural, regulatory, and customer contexts. PetLink needed unified product offering to introduce pet tracker technology into the US market, predicted to be worth $41.3 billion by 2032.

PetLink logo over a background image of a fluffy dog
PetLink symbol combining a dog and cat into a GPS icon on a red background
Animated mockup showing typography, including font, size, spacing, and line height
Hand-drawn illustration of a boy holding a dog with the text “Home of the pet safety”
UI icons displayed on colorful backgrounds
Person holding a smartphone with the PetLink mobile app on screen
Happy fluffy dog wearing a PetLink tracking device

Challenge

The acquisition created practical blockers: different design styles, separate databases, and mismatched technical systems - slowing development and confusing customers.

PetLink needed to fix current UX issues, design for expansion beyond the US launch, and test appetite for new AI features. All at once.

Our analysis

Rather than tackling each product or timeframe separately, we focused on customer Jobs-to-be-Done.

This let us build a unified UX that worked across products and revealed where to fix, where to expand, and where AI features would actually add value - aligning all stakeholders around one strategy.

Hands holding packaging of the PetLink GPS tracker
Sporty girl running with her dog, both wearing PetLink GPS trackers
Animated UI screen showing a map and pet tracking options
Animated UI screen showing a map and pet tracking information for multiple pets
Hand-drawn illustration of a person holding a smartphone showing a location map, with a dog running nearby and the text “Tech you trust, for the pets you adore.”
Image of a happy dog wearing a PetLink GPS tracker, with icons indicating the dog’s health and mood states: happy, chill, okay, nervous, and grumpy
UI screen of the Pet Journal in the PetLink mobile app
UI screen of a territory analysis for cats in the PetLink app, showing a movement heatmap
Cute cat wearing a PetLink GPS tracker
Cute dog, wearing a PetLink GPS tracker and a UI component showing daily activity
UI card showing summary of the pet's walk

What we did

01.

Strategy: unifying customer and business needs

We started with comprehensive customer and stakeholder interviews and analysis of 21 competitors across markets to establish foundational understanding. This discovery identified many user jobs-to-be-done across six core user archetypes, revealing core aspirations that transcended individual products: responsible pet ownership, creating a lasting bond with your pet and contributing to a community focused on pet safety and wellbeing. We aligned these user needs with PetLink's business goal of portfolio integration and US market expansion.

Strategy: unifying customer and business needs

We started with comprehensive customer and stakeholder interviews and analysis of 21 competitors across markets to establish foundational understanding. This discovery identified many user jobs-to-be-done across six core user archetypes, revealing core aspirations that transcended individual products: responsible pet ownership, creating a lasting bond with your pet and contributing to a community focused on pet safety and wellbeing. We aligned these user needs with PetLink's business goal of portfolio integration and US market expansion.

02.

Scope: prioritising feature requirements

Aligned to our strategy, we defined feature and content requirements for the integrated experience. This included determining which capabilities from microchip, QR, and GPS products needed integration, what new features would support cross-selling, and how content should be structured to serve both existing regional customers and new market expansion goals.

Scope: prioritising feature requirements

Aligned to our strategy, we defined feature and content requirements for the integrated experience. This included determining which capabilities from microchip, QR, and GPS products needed integration, what new features would support cross-selling, and how content should be structured to serve both existing regional customers and new market expansion goals.

03.

Structure: cross-product information architecture

We designed new information architecture and interaction patterns to seamlessly integrate all PetLink products around the user journey. This structure enabled customers to move naturally between microchip, QR, and GPS features within single workflows, creating cohesive experiences that feel intuitive regardless of which products they use. A supporting UI design system and detailed prototypes ensured seamless development handover.

Structure: cross-product information architecture

We designed new information architecture and interaction patterns to seamlessly integrate all PetLink products around the user journey. This structure enabled customers to move naturally between microchip, QR, and GPS features within single workflows, creating cohesive experiences that feel intuitive regardless of which products they use. A supporting UI design system and detailed prototypes ensured seamless development handover.

04.

Surface: distinctive visual identity

We led a brand refresh and established a distinctive visual language that separates PetLink from generic pet tech competitors. The new brand was designed to be digital first and UI ready, creating immediate brand recognition while supporting consistent expression across all touch points, from mobile apps to physical packaging.

Surface: distinctive visual identity

We led a brand refresh and established a distinctive visual language that separates PetLink from generic pet tech competitors. The new brand was designed to be digital first and UI ready, creating immediate brand recognition while supporting consistent expression across all touch points, from mobile apps to physical packaging.

05.

Partnership: embedded capability transfer

Rather than traditional consultancy dependency, after the accelerator phases had concluded we integrated directly with PetLink's team through collaborative design support and knowledge transfer to ensure the finished product matched the original vision.

Partnership: embedded capability transfer

Rather than traditional consultancy dependency, after the accelerator phases had concluded we integrated directly with PetLink's team through collaborative design support and knowledge transfer to ensure the finished product matched the original vision.

Billboard showing cute dog, PetLink GPS tracker, UI screen and a text "The home of pet safety"
Cute smiley dog and a UI component showing pet avatar, name, battery level, distance and status
City light mockup with an illustrated girl hugging a dog and a title "Safely home"
Hand-drawn illustration of a boy holding a t-shirt with a heart, a smiling dog nearby and a title "Gifts that last"
Shopping bag with a cute illustration and a PetLink logo

Project impact

Market leading UX

Complete UX transformation unified PetLinks product portfolio into a single experience enabling PetLink to capitalise on their core strategic advantage.

Market leading UX

Complete UX transformation unified PetLinks product portfolio into a single experience enabling PetLink to capitalise on their core strategic advantage.

A modern brand identity

A distinctive brand refresh that creates immediate brand recognition in the crowded pet tech market, establishing premium positioning and competitive differentiation to support market expansion.

A modern brand identity

A distinctive brand refresh that creates immediate brand recognition in the crowded pet tech market, establishing premium positioning and competitive differentiation to support market expansion.

US market entry accelerated

New high-performing landing pages account for 20% of all US GPS sales, proving the commercial value of systematic design approach.

US market entry accelerated

New high-performing landing pages account for 20% of all US GPS sales, proving the commercial value of systematic design approach.

Strategic design for ambitious, product-led companies

Connected technology creates unique design challenges: managing hardware-software integration, designing for multiple user touchpoints, and unifying experiences across global markets and diverse product portfolios.

Our accelerator approach rapidly validates design direction before evolving into embedded partnerships that build internal capabilities for sustained competitive advantage.